Dominant bosses gain more power, yet do more damage to the organizations they lead

(written by lawrence krubner, however indented passages are often quotes). You can contact lawrence at: lawrence@krubner.com, or follow me on Twitter.

Bosses who are fair gain respect from followers and are then cheated of promotions.

We’ve long wondered why managers don’t always behave fairly, because doing so would clearly benefit their organizations: Studies show that the success of change initiatives depends largely on fair implementation. Our research suggests an answer. Managers see respect and power as two mutually exclusive avenues to influence, and many choose the latter.

Although this appears to be the more rational choice, it’s not always the correct one—and it poses big risks for organizations. At Pfizer, a cohort of promising executives associated with Katen resigned after McKinnell took over. He himself was pushed into retirement by the board in 2006 because of the company’s disappointing performance. Shareholder outrage over his rich retirement package followed.

I’ve noticed a dangerous type in business: the person who appears confident, though events later prove that confidence entirely misguided. I’ve had clients implement what seemed like stupid policies, and when I challenged their policies they told me they had secret information that they could not share with me, but that if I knew the secret information, I would agree that their policies were wise. Later events would often show that there was no secret information. Sometimes the “secret information” turned out to be a long-shot hope that a particular angel investor was about to invest, and if I’d only know the facts, I would have pointed out how desperate the hope was.

Unearned confidence is dangerous, sometimes deadly, yet surprisingly attractive to many people.

Actually, I think this is as true in romance as in business. People look for those who seem confident and assertive and dominant, though in fact such people as that might make their life a living hell, or ruin the business they are entrusted with. Why then, do men and women continue to reward those people who demonstrate confidence, assertiveness and dominance? Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain.

Post external references

  1. 1
    http://hbr.org/2011/07/why-fair-bosses-fall-behind/ar/1
Source